Conservatism, Feminism and Liberal Democracy - Essay Example

? Conservatism, Feminism and Liberal Democracy Introduction Liberal democracy is a political ideology that represents the competitive, free and fair form of elections’ procedure in a democracy. Liberal democracy allows all adult citizens to participate in an election and voting exercise, irrespective of gender, race and property ownership. A liberal democracy is also referred to as a constitutional democracy or a bourgeois democracy. It may take many constitutional forms i.e. federal republic, or a constitutional republic, or a constitutional monarchy; a parliamentary system, or a presidential system or a hybrid semi-presidential system. Countries such as Spain, U.K, Canada and Japan take the form of a constitutional monarchy, whereas India, U.S, Brazil and Germany take the form of a federal republic. According to Michael Freeden (1998: 14), an ideology is a network or cluster of concepts that people device and use so to shape and guide their understanding of the political world. Freeden explains that these ideologies are neither universal nor abstract, nor are they a true reflection of reality. These concepts are medieval products of human thought that have both and enabling and constraining function on human behavior. Freeden clarifies that political concepts are the vehicles of political thought (Freeden, 1998: 131). Michael Freeden classifies these concepts into different classifications, which he calls, “the morphology of ideologies”. These are Conservatism, Liberalism, Socialism, Feminism, Fascism, Nationalism, Anarchism etc. This essay seeks to evaluate the application of liberal democracy in both Conservatism and Feminism; identifying the challenges faced by the practice of liberal democracy in both political approaches, and finally recommending the most convincing application of liberal democracy from this evaluation. Literature Review Conservatism According to Andrew Heywood (2007: 70), conservatism, as a political concept, involves, suspicion and resistance to change; and the desire to conserve. Although conservatism is distinguished from the other political creeds due to its persistent resistance to change, it is the way this position is upheld that makes conservatism distinct. The main themes of conservatism are tradition, organic society, human imperfection, authority and property. Conservatives define tradition as the accumulated wisdom over the years, practices and institutions that have been tested by time. They believe that these traditions should be preserved and passed on from one generation to another. Conservatives have a pessimistic view on human nature. They believe that human beings are dependent, insecure, limited and development seeking; second, they are selfish, greedy, corrupt, and thirsty for power; third, humans cannot cope with the complexity of the world. The belief that society is an organic whole evoked these values and institutions that are aimed at preserving the fragile nature of society. Conservatives believe in authority as the basis of social togetherness, arguing that authority gives people a sense of belonging, whom they are and what is required of them in a hierarchical social institution. Conservatives attach much value to property since according to them; it provides security and a sense of anarchy. However, conservatism encourages respect of the law and other people’s property. Conservatism is divided into various divisions of similar but slightly varied schools of thought. Authoritarian conservatism is bluntly reactionary and autocratic; it stresses that government ‘from above’ is the best form of government if the order is to be established, and thus -differs from Edmund Burke’s (1729-1797) Anglo- American conservatism which is more pragmatic and modest. According to Benjamin Disraeli (1804-81), Paternalistic conservatism, on the other hand, is more prudent and principled arguing that, the wealthy have a duty to look after the welfare of the poor, and thus the statement, ‘reform from above’ is better than ‘revolution from below’ (Heywood, 2007: 86). Libertarian conservatism is more of economic liberty, laissez-faire liberalism and partial government regulation, but also harnessing this using the conservative philosophy of tradition, which attaches importance to duty and authority (Heywood, 2007: 90). Conservatism ideology developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries due to the increasing pace of social and economic change brought about by the French revolution (1789). Conservatives resisted the pressures from socialism, liberalism and nationalism stressing the importance of traditional social order. Authoritarian conservatism, which had collaborated with fascism in Europe, were faced out by democracy and constitutionalism. Conservative thought is usually open to change, which makes it more inclined to the ruling class than to the less fortunate in society (Heywood, 2007: 83). The resistance to change defends the interests of the wealthy and elite in society while legitimizing the status quo. Conservatism argues that the imperfections of human beings, and their need for security can only be addressed by tradition; therefore, history and experience provide a better political philosophy than the principles of freedom, equality and justice. Feminism Feminism is a political theory that seeks to advance the role of women in society. Feminists work towards revolutionizing the political superiority of men and the subjection of women. Feminist ideology is characterized by the beliefs that; men and women and women are differentiated because of their sex, and that the inequality should be overturned. Although feminism aim at achieving gender equality, their main goal, is not to be like men, but rather, the concept of patriarchy, whose focus is on eliminating the exploitation and oppression to which women are subject (Heywood, 2007:245). This implies that gender is a political construct based on stereotypic ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ social roles and behavior. However, there exists various distinct forms of feminist theory; social/ Marxist, liberal and radical feminism. Liberal feminism seeks to enforce individual and formal equality while at the same time lobbying for equal rights and opportunities in social and political life (Ian Adams, 2001: 222). Socialist feminism, which draws its concept from Marxism, which depicts links between the economic productivity of women and female subordination, thus the significance of confining women to domestic and family life. Radical feminism focuses on patriarchy thus focuses more on gender abolition rather than gender reform. Other forms of feminisms cropped up since 1970; black feminism, eco-feminism, psycho-analytic feminism and postmodern feminism. The ‘first wave’ of feminism of 1840-1850s was concerned with women’s suffrage, the achievement of which, reduced the focus of civil and legal rights thus depriving the women’s movement a cohesive focus (Adams, 2001: 227). The ‘second wave’ of feminism followed almost a century later and dealt with issues relating to equal rights, the revolutionary and radical demands of the Women’s Liberation Movement. Feminism underwent de-radicalization since the year 1970, due to the then ongoing backlash against the feminist ideology. The New Right stated that women could longer be viewed as ‘victims’. The feminist ideology is re-known for its efforts against gender biases common in society but ignored by universal political thought. Feminism has brought a new way of doing things in concepts such as equality, domination and power. It has also shaped political thought, public, professional and domestic roles of women, especially in developed countries (Adams, 2001:227). Discussion Conservatism rejects the principle of equality and advocates for free markets and defense of private property. The application of liberal democracy by conservatives applies only to issues relating to equal justice, and rights to property, however, the ideology behind conservatism is very different from the political ideology of liberal democracy. Conservatives believe that ideas that are offensive or those ideas that they disagree with should be censored while democracy argues against the censorship of people’s ideas. Conservatives believe that reduction of tax on capital gains can help society, however, the liberals believe that this move would only exempt the rich from paying their equitable and fair share of taxes (Freeden, 1998:369). Conservatives work towards implementing their values and morals into society and considers anyone who disagrees with them as an enemy of the state, whereas liberals believe that forcing values onto society is killing democracy. This difference in opinion shows that the practice of liberal democracy contributes to the problems that conservatives face and puts them out of favor with the government especially in regards to taxation, and their traditional resistance to change, which is the basis of democracy(Heywood, 2007: 90-91). Feminism works towards the abolition of gender whereas liberals still view humans on the basis of race and gender. Liberal democracy is under criticism since despite its concept of equality irrespective of gender; race or property, number of women Parliamentarians in the U.K is still below 10%. Liberal democracy focuses on empowering the individual and society as a whole; feminists argue that parliamentarians are individuals too and therefore, there should be equal opportunities in the political arena. Feminists fight for the unification of gender as one, so that no group has to feel inferior to the other (Heywood, 2007: 251-252). Conclusion The impact on the practice of liberal democracy, therefore, differs on both feminists and conservatives. However, feminism is more related to liberal conservatism than conservatism. The issues highlighted by feminism are closely related to those addressed by liberal democracy especially the issues of equal rights and gender equality. The traditional conservatives are, however, less inclined to the practice of liberal democracy. References Adams, I. (2001) Political Ideology Today, 2nd ed., Manchester: Manchester University Press. Freedon, Michael. (1998) Ideologies and Political Theory, Oxford: Clarendon. Heywood, A. (2007) Political Ideologies: An Introduction, 4th edition, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. Read More